


Hairstyle And Confession

by sensiblekitty



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cute, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 12:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6117028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensiblekitty/pseuds/sensiblekitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Isco has a crush on his co-worker James. They are good friends, but nothing more than that. After his best friend Álvaro advises him to get a new haircut, Isco asks James what type of hairstyle he'd find attractive, going to the hair salon and getting himself that haircut. Will Isco's new hair help him get closer to James?</p><p>Prompt is a request from Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hairstyle And Confession

**Author's Note:**

> -Here's my first attempt into writing Jamisco. I don't particularly ship them (maybe just their friendship), but it was fun to write the story. The Álvi/Simo appearance, on a side note, is just the result of my obsession over 'Zarata'! XD *hopes there is no Morisco fans reading this*
> 
> -The fic idea comes from @mylovelymorata. Thank you!

One year. That was the time Isco has nurtured a crush on his co-worker James. During all these months, the two men have come closer together. They exchanged contacts, became frequent visitors to each other’s home, went into blind dates together and knew everything about each other. They have formed a beautiful friendship, but their relationship hasn’t developed into anything further. Isco could blame himself for the failed attempts in showing love interest, but James’ obliviousness didn't help either. Gosh, James is the most oblivious man he has ever met, that he could assure.

The idea of confessing to James came on a random day, during a Skype call with his best friend Álvaro, who is currently living in Italy.

“Dude, you have to do something!" Álvaro shouted from the screen and grimaced. "I’m sick of listening to the same rants everytime we talk. Just crying over your frustrations  won't bring you any progress with your crush.”

“But Álvi, I did everything; you know it well! Please, don't leave, you are the only one who still listens to me!" Isco grabbed the laptop, his hands shaking the screen. "Everyone at work has already told me to give up. Tell me what else I have to do.”

“I don’t know, man.” Álvaro shrunk his shoulders and sighed. “Well, I hate giving this advice, but since 'your James' is the most clueless man on earth as you say, you have to get an upgrade in your appearance.”

“But then, if I change my appearance, I will no longer be myself, Álvarito.”

“Fool. When I say an appearance change, I mean, wear something that catches his attention." Álvaro brushed his jaw, eyes fixed on a blank point before turning to the screen. "For instance, a haircut! Ask him to suggest a haircut that he would love to see his hypothetical boyfriend use.”

Isco snorted loud. “I just hope he doesn’t advise me to shave my head, like your boyfriend does.”

“You never get tired of mocking my boyfriend, do you? Leave Simone alone. I love his baldness, it’s his charm!”

“Okay, don't be mad, I will stop!” Isco rolled his eyes. It was amazing how Álvaro defended that Zaza guy, something he never did with any other love partner; that Italian dude surely has won his best friend's heart. “Anyway, I’ll follow your advice, Álvi.”

“Good. Tell me how it went later!”

* * *

In the following day, after work, when Isco was about to head to the bus, he spotted James walking to the parking place. ‘It has to be now’, he thought with himself for the tenth time that day, after numerous opportunities wasted by his insecurities. Scratching his head, he walked across the parking, standing a few inches away from James' car, clearing his throat so the other man turned to him

“Hey, James. You are already leaving, but could you give me some minutes?"

"Yeah, Isco, I'm going to pick Salomé from school, but I still have a few minutes."

"I know this is random, but…Could you give me a hairstyle advice? Since you are up-to-date with the latest fashion tendencies.”

“Sure! Do you have a preference for a style?”

“I-I don’t really have a preference,” Isco stammered, looking down, a blush forming around his cheeks. “I’d like to get a hairstyle that you would find nice and cool.”

James raised an eyebrow, glancing through Isco’s flustered face. “Hmm, you are interested in someone!”

Turning his head up, Isco widened his eyes at the co-worker. Has James eventually noticed something?

“Let’s say that I am interested indeed and I want that person to notice me, because he is clueless as hell,” Isco said with a smile. “But there is always hope!”

“A clueless man, huh? It will be tough, but yeah, nothing is impossible. I’ll help you out with impressing your man!” James patted on Isco’s head and smiled brightly. “Come with me to my house, I’ll show you some recent hair magazines.”

Isco was hesitant, but nodded, entering James' car. After they picked Salomé at school, the three of them arrived at the Rodriguez's house. While James asked Isco to wait, Salomé wrapped her arms around Isco and gave him a huge smile.

“Will you finally tell Dad that you love him?”

The statement from the little girl startled Isco, and he had to hold an incoming laughter, for she is cleverer than her father is.

“I plan on doing it, yes. Would you help me out?”

“I promise!” She assented, her lips curving in a smug, and Isco noticed that she had a plan in mind. When they heard footsteps, she whispered in Isco’s ears. “Let’s make a surprise for Dad.”

Isco didn’t understand well, but nodded smilingly. As soon as James arrived the living room, Salomé jumped out of the sofa and ran to her room. 

“Here are the magazines. I have marked my favorite ones, take a look!”

Isco took a copy and flipped through the marked pages. He has noticed that all the photos had a point in common: they were pictures of famous footballers, all with the undercut style, with the sides cut with a shorter length compared to the top, which is longer than the rest. He raised an eyebrow.

“Do you think it will look good on me?”

James sat by the sofa arm and studied Isco’s face for a few minutes. First, from the front; then, from the sides. “If you cut these sides, extend to the back and leave the top longer…,” he said, leaning closer and running his fingers over Isco’s hair, and in that moment, Isco wished the other man didn’t notice his racing heartbeats. “…I think it’ll suit you well!”

“If you say so, then, I’ll choose this haircut,” he choked, drifting a bit away before standing up. “I’ll schedule an appointment for a haircut as soon as possible because I can't wait to impress him.”

James' eyes brightened with Isco's enthusiasm. The two kept chatting while they walked to the door, Salomé joining them shortly after and holding her father's hand.

“And I can't wait to see the result! I'm sure you'll look great with that haircut.”

“Okay, Jamesito, I promise to show you first,” he assured, leaning to give a hug to Salomé. “Bye, Salomé!”

“Bye, Isco!” She winked at him, before hugging back.

* * *

A few days later, in the beauty salon, Isco spent the whole time uneasy on his seat, fingers fidgetly tapping on the chair's arms while he flipped the pages of a random magazine. He was eager to know the final result, a huge change was about to happen after years with the same hairstyle; thus, when the hairstylist finished the cut, he lifted his head with aprehensive eyes on the mirror. Frozen in his spot, however, he couldn't contain the shock at his reflect portrayed in the mirror.

"We are done." the hairstylist took away the cape that covered Isco's shoulders, cleaning strands of hair that fell during the process and taking a mirror to show the back of Isco's head. "What have you thought?"

“Wow, it's...different,” Isco stammered, doing his best to hide the disappointment and frustration. 

"You'll impress everyone around you!"

"Hopefully, so." Isco let out a small laugh, secretly hoping his new hair doesn't give a bad impression. In a way of another, there's no way he would show it to anyone, as everybody will, at least, mock him.

In the following days, he went to work with a beanie, not taking it off a single moment, not even when it was hot outside. The gesture attracted the staff’s attention, as it wasn’t usual of him to wear that type of accessory, and James was the first co-worker to come to his side.

“Did you have the haircut?” James asked, bright eyes glowing at him.

“Yeah, I did,” Isco answered, head slight down to avoid eye-contact.

Despite noticing Isco's coldness, James still approached him, touching the beanie. "Would you mind if I saw it?"

The shorter man held the beanie tight, preventing James from taking if off. “No! It looks ugly on me.” 

“It can’t look ugly on you, because you’re handsome regardless of any haircut.” James squeezed his hand on the shorter man's shoulder. “Show me whenever you feel comfortable, okay?”

Isco nodded, sad eyes focused on the floor. The neighbor desks chattered in murmurs when James walked back to his desk, and Isco just shrunk his shoulders and bowed down his head, ears covered with hands not to let the noise disturb him.

* * *

Two days later and they haven't talked since their talk during work. Sat by the sofa, Isco skimmed through the TV channels, mindlessly pressing the control button between yawns. It was his entire fault; he behaved like a diva in front of James and ruined their friendship. He was already predicting that if things continued in that stage, they would just talk again after Isco's hair fully grew again, and that was not considerate of the other man. 

The sound of a Colombian song rang loud from his phone. That was James’ ringtone. Shit, he could no longer keep avoiding him.

“Hello, James?”

“Not Dad, it is Salomé!”

“Hey, Salomé, have you snatched you father’s phone?”

“I want to talk to you, so he has lent me his phone.”

“And he has simply allowed you, out of blue?”

“No, I told him that I wanted to play a game that was installed on his phone. But that’s not the point of my call. I'm calling you because Dad has been down these days, because he blames himself for picking that hairstyle for you.”

“What? He's not at fault at all!”

“He is afraid you won’t talk with him again. Please, Isco, tell me that it’s not true!”

“Hey, calm down, Salomé. Don’t worry, I love your father!”

“If you say so, please, come to our house later. It’s so lonely just the two of us and even lonelier when Dad doesn't talk.”

“Okay, I’ll make you guys a visit.”

“Thanks, Isco. Please, tell my Dad about your feelings, I think he also loves you.”

“Really?"

"Uhum," she mumbled. "I have to go now. We'll talk later!"

"See you later!" He hang up, still processing Salomé's words. Whether it was true or just fruit of a kid's imagination, he would know in a few hours.

* * *

Later on, Isco stood by the door of James’ house with a small bouquet and a patisserie box between his hands. After taking a long breath, he pressed the doorbell.

A few seconds later, James appeared by the door, welcoming him with a wide smile.

“Hello, Isco, come in,” James waved his hand to make him enter the house. “Salomé told me you had something important to say.”

“Yeah, I have…Oh these are for you and for Salo, by the way.” He said, offering the gifts to the other man. "The cake is chiffon flavored, your favorite."

“Thank you, I love this! But you didn’t have to bring these.”

“I have to apologize for not talking with you these days. Besides…” As soon as he entered James’ house, the little girl ran to his side and he leaned down to give her a hug. “Hey, Salomé!”

“I’m so glad you came!” She shouted happily, wrapping her tiny arms around Isco. “Come on, Isco, this is your time to take this boring beanie off!”

Isco was going to protest, but he didn’t have time, as Salomé snatched the beanie off his head, revealing the undercut hairstyle a bit messed up by the accessory. 

“Wow, you’re a prince, Isco! Better than your hair before.”

“Thanks, Salo.” Isco gave a shy smile, and turned his head up to look at James, who gazed at him tenderly. Drifting his look away, he stood up, reddened cheeks adding up to the shy smile on his face. 

“Here, let me put these somewhere!” She took the small bouquet and the box from Isco’s hands and ran through the corridor.

"Wait, Salo, let me help..." James sighed, but smiled. "This girl is so agitated. She impresses me every day."

"She is just like her father." Isco's shine shone. "Impresses me every single day." 

Now, the two men were alone to talk.

“Thanks, Isco, but I'm in no way impressive; you are." James walked closer to Isco, running his fingers through his hair. “You look stunning! Please, don’t ever use that beanie again.”

Eyes shut, the touch of James' fingers over Isco's hair made the shorter man's body ease, despite the usual racing heartbeats that affected him whenever they were too close.

Isco opened his eyes slowly and spoke softly, “I was afraid of your reaction, afraid that you would find me ugly, because let’s be honest: I’ll never be like those cool and handsome celebrities.”

“Stupid. Who cares about handsome celebrities? Yes, it’s true that I have a ridiculous crush on Cristiano Ronaldo, but we belong to different worlds and there’s no way we would meet.” He chuckled, before adding, "What I want is people I know, and their inner beauty is what captivates me the most."

“To make up for their external ugliness?”

“Don’t be fool, there is no ugly people in the world,” James said, his cheeks reddening. "Although I have to confess that my significant other should have a little bit of handsomeness."

Isco took the moment to break the short distance that separated them. “Do you think I have both?”

James paused and stared at him before grinning. “Yes, I think you have both, and even more than that.”

“What more?” Isco asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

“Your way of walking, always at work, your stupid jokes, your childish smile…Even your bluntness is cute.”

"Does it mean that I fit your requirements?"

"If you were in love with me, I think we would be perfect for each other."

"What if I say that I am?"

"Say that you are what?"

"That I am in love with you?"

"Isco, is that some kind of joke?"

"No, dear. It's my own confession. I'm just so hopeless that I can't even make a proper confession, but..." He looked away and to the man in front of him. "...Let me tell you this, James. We have been hanging around for one year and I have been having this crush on you since then. During all this time, I threw you many hints about my feelings, but you never bought them."

"Are you fucking kidding me? I have been silently in love with you for months, but I was sure you just wanted to be friends; therefore, I gave up on confessing to you."

"Damn it, we are both so stupid." Isco shook his head before laughing. "We are meant for each other."

"I agree." Placing the palm of his hand on Isco's face, thumb brushing over the bare skin, James inclined his head, closing his eyes and locking his lips on the shorter man's in a kiss. After they slowly broke away from the kiss, they smiled at each other.

"Please, have dinner with us, Isco," James invited the shorter man, Salomé joining him as soon as she heard him say that, and Isco could guess she has been watching everything from afar.

"Yes, please, Isco!" She exclaimed, jumping out of happiness. "Dinner and movie!"

The two men exchanged looks and assented with their heads. James, however, apologized, "I haven't made anything special for dinner for us, because Salomé just told you were coming a few minutes before your arrival.

"Because Dad wouldn't allow Isco to come."

"It's fine, James. I don't care about it, just as long as I spend some time with you, I'm happy."

* * *

A few days later, Isco was all smiles when he and Álvaro talked again in their usual Skype session. 

“Your hair looks different; nevertheless, great.” Álvaro commented. “You look pretty cool, man.”

“Thanks, Álvi. I didn’t like at first, but now I can’t imagine myself wearing another hairstyle.”

“So, it means everything turned well between you and ‘your James’?” Álvaro smugged.

“Yeah, but can you believe he also had a crush on me during these months?”

“Yes, I imagined so, because you are as clueless as him, so I'm not impressed that you also didn't get it.” Álvaro laughed loud. “Oh, and you don’t have to thank me.”

“I don’t?” Isco raised his eyebrows. “Of course I do. Thank you, Álvarito, for the advice and for always being there for me, even though we no longer live in the same city.”

“You're welcome, Isco, but I didn't do anything. The advice was just a way of getting you to confess.” He smiled and after hearing a noise, turned his back, leaving the room and reappearing a few minutes later from the door. “Simone has just arrived. Wanna say hello to him? He is right beside me.”

“Sure, why not? Call him!” Isco saw Álvaro enter the room followed by a young man wearing a beanie, face bearless and tumecent eyebrows, the two approaching the screen.

“Hello, Isco!” Simone greeted, sitting beside Álvaro, sparkling smiles glistening over their faces, and Isco always mocked that they looked stupid with that facial expression, but now he related to them. Love could be expressed in many shapes, and that was just one of them. He wondered if he and James also looked like two full grown-up dudes who stared foolishly at each other for hours in public, unaware of anything else in the world. 

“Hey, Simone. Hope you are taking good care of my bro.”

“About this, you don't have to worry. We take good care of each other.” They gazed into each other's eyes, getting stuck in their own world. Isco had to clear his throat to make they look back at the screen.

“Anyway, I have to go now. I’m gonna meet James for a date. Wish me luck, guys!”

“Good luck, Isco!” The two men wished in unison and waved.

After they hung up and Isco turned off the laptop, he looked at his portrayal from the camera phone. Fixing his hair, he took a deep breath. He and James are eventually going on a date as a couple. Nothing could go wrong, he told himself. Outside, a car horn rang loud, and Isco recognized James’ car from the window. Turning his lips into a wide grin, he rushed to leave his room and walk across the house, meeting James, who left the car and waved to him, that beautiful smile displayed on his face. At that moment, he took notice of the reality. A new step on their relationship is unveiling. He was ready.  


End file.
